Amani

Lately several of my sentences begin with "After we get vaccinated..."

Of course this time in our lives has been unlike any other with few guidelines and little direction.  We have had to improvise as we went along. 

A New Finish

But life does not stop for a vaccine. It happens while we wait for other things.

Such is this quilt.

"After I complete the RSC2020 quilts, I will start the Carnavale quilt", I thought. But then life happened. Literally. Nancy's baby boy is due any minute. Therefore the RSC projects were set aside and a rapid baby boy quilt was made.

Starter Dough?

The leftovers from Kinda Brave became the starters for this quilt.  Reminds me of this comment from Astrid on the Rainy Day Tulips Quilt.

"Quilting is like starter dough; ya gotta keep some inspiration and leavening from the last batch in order to start the next one.

Blocks in the works

All block centers done

The blocks finish at about 10" making this a rapid quilt. Although 16 blocks would have been plenty, after all was said and done there were 20 blocks.  So I made a slightly larger quilt.

On the Design Wall

Sparkle Background

Binding

A Robot!!!

Walking Foot Quilting

Butterflies & Owl

The backing is pieced and all fabric was very "locally sourced" from my stash :-D

Pieced Backing

Labelled

Soothing Blues

Tall Giraffe, Stout Elephant

Completed & Gifted

A few more pictures.

Animal theme

Happy Sharks

Go on now - keep the baby warm

Make the Baby Smile

Amani finished at about 40" by 49" and was gifted to a very pregnant mom-to-be. Amani means peace in Swahili (Nancy's mother tongue). 

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Eventually, I did count the number of Framed Jewel Blocks.  I thought I had made (somewhat) equal number of light and dark blocks (for a checkered layout). But I was mistaken. I had way more light blocks than dark blocks.

Framed Jewel Blocks

A checkered layout idea was abandoned. I was trying to wrap up this party not invite three rowdy friends. I decided to go with the dark border layout more conducive to the blocks on hand. 

Preferred Layout and Piecing Approach

Since my desires exceed the dimensions of the design wall, the flimsy will be pieced in four sections.

Quadrant A

A closer look

These blocks were quick and easy to make but the flimsy will take that much longer to piece.  Slowly but surely this will come together.  Of course I will keep you posted and will share with Angela's RSC Linky Party.

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In non-quilty adventures, I tried making focaccia bread and succeeded. I made bread and breadcrumbs AT THE SAME TIME!!!

Attempt

Yes, this is exactly what happens when you do not oil the pan before placing the dough.  The second batch of focaccia bread (topped with balsamic onions and mushrooms) was glorious in both appearance and taste :-)

Success

What yumminess have you experienced lately?  Was it in the kitchen, the studio or outdoors?  I'd love to hear from you. I will be sharing with Angela's RSC Linky and all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar.

Kinda Brave

What is an appropriate gift for a young woman who is celebrating her high school graduation, her 18th birthday and is on her way to a prestigious college?

Kinda Brave

A quilt, of course.

Pieced Backing

Did I mention that she did all this while she was fighting a debilitating disease with multiple doctor visits and hospital stays? And she also wrote a book about her experiences and published it too.

Kinda Chronic by Ashni Sethi

Meet Ashni. Better still read about her book here.

Ashni's Mom is my friend, Manveen.
I conspired with Ashni's parents in making this quilt.
Ashni likes dogs and loves the ocean. Her favorite colors are blue, gold and red.

Pattern Sketch

This was helpful, sure. But Ashni's quilt needed to be more, much more than just a compilation of her favorite things. She needs to covered with love, support, good wishes and blessings from her friends and family as she celebrated her book, and embarked on her journey to college - a whole new chapter in her already challenging life.

Blues

The pattern was easy. I chose Scrap Happy by Amanda Jean Nyberg.
Of course I had all the fabrics.

Backing Fabrics

I had all the ingredients for the body of the quilt.
I just needed to infuse it with soul.

The opportunity came at Ashni's birthday party.  I arrived at the party armed with freezer paper rectangles, a traveling iron, felt blanket, archival pens, and background fabric rectangles. I bullied (urged, cajoled and encouraged) the attendees to write messages of love, encouragement, support and best wishes for Ashni.

From Grandma

I roped in two guests to help with peeling and re-attaching the freezer paper to the background fabrics. The pens were a bit tricky for non-quilting folk and not everyone stayed in the center of the rectangles.

From Auntie

I was conspicuous as I flitted from one guest to another, asking them to retrace their letters so that the ink was dark enough, leave room for seam allowances, and are you done with the pen?
But there was no way Ashni could have known the full extent of the conspiracy.

From a friend

Some messages were simple birthday wishes, others celebrated Ashni's accomplishments, and others promised her love and support. Some were simple, others were funny and some were deeply touching. I am glad to have been part of the journey.

Quilting in process

Ready to Bind

Zebra binding

Almost done

Here are some pictures showing the completed quilt.

Light & Shade - A metaphor for life?

So cool!!!

Twisted

Fabric Rose?

Folded

Puppies YAY!!!

The messages are not visible at first glance, just like the adorable puppies are rather subtle.
But come closer and the warmth of the messages and the cuteness of the puppies will engulf you.

Love the red fabric

I had just enough red fabric left over from Enchanted Lake to border the puppy fabric to make this pieced backing.

Labelled

Showing off the Label

Of course, I am showing off.  Just in case any of Ashni's friends from college want a personalized quilt, I want to make sure that they have no trouble finding me :-)  Just search for "Sew Preeti Quilts" and send me a message.

Rolled up

Sunshine and Puppies = Perfection

So many Good Wishes in a Bundle of Comfort

I gave the completed quilt to Manveen last month. She happily posed for some pictures.

You are hiding behind it.

Much better

Together!!!

I am told that Ashni LOVED her quilt. And here she is confirming it with a gentle smile.

Ashni with her quilt

As usual, I'd love to hear from you. I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar.